On Saturday, math nerds near and far cheer a coincidence that comes along just once every 100 years. The numerals representing March 14, 2015 will comprise the first five digits of Pi: 3.1415.
 |
| Celebrating Pi Day |
To take it a step further, the date and time at 9:26 and 53 seconds (both a.m. and p.m.) on Saturday will correspond with Pi out to 10 digits (3.141592653).
[MIT gets transcendental: Admissions decisions on ‘perfect’ Pi Day, 3.14/15]
As a reminder for those of you who slept through geometry class, Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference (distance around) to its diameter, as The Washington Post wrote.
 |
| Pi Represents The Ratio Of A Circle’s Circumference |
“It ‘is kind of a basic atomic building block’ for math, said Temple University mathematician and author John Paulos, who was interviewed at precisely 3:14:15 p.m.,” reports the Associated Press’ Seth Borenstein.
 |
| Symbol Of Pi |
As meteorology is a physical science, steeped in math, Pi plays prominently in the inner workings of our weather systems.
“Below is the simplest model to diagnose the development and evolution of extratropical cyclones [i.e. mid-latitude storms],” says Steve Tracton, Capital Weather Gang contributor. “Really, [it's] the SIMPLEST.”
“Below is the simplest model to diagnose the development and evolution of extratropical cyclones [i.e. mid-latitude storms],” says Steve Tracton, Capital Weather Gang contributor. “Really, [it's] the SIMPLEST.”
 | ||
| Evolution of Extratropical Cyclonesevol |
And it, of course, includes Pi.
Pi is also integral in global weather system models, like the GFS and European, which take advantage of the Earth being shaped like a sphere notes Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang’s tropical weather expert.
McNoldy also points out Pi is embedded within the equation that describes the scattering of light by spheres, known as Rayleigh scattering, which relates to why the sky is blue.
At the most basic level, we use Pi to calculate the volume of water in a raindrop (since raindrops are spheres).
So let’s take a moment to raise a toast to Pi – so deeply ingrained in the wonders of the world around us.
(Correction: 4:59 p.m. – A previous version of this post wrongly stated Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its radius, instead of its diameter.)
Pi is also integral in global weather system models, like the GFS and European, which take advantage of the Earth being shaped like a sphere notes Brian McNoldy, Capital Weather Gang’s tropical weather expert.
McNoldy also points out Pi is embedded within the equation that describes the scattering of light by spheres, known as Rayleigh scattering, which relates to why the sky is blue.
At the most basic level, we use Pi to calculate the volume of water in a raindrop (since raindrops are spheres).
So let’s take a moment to raise a toast to Pi – so deeply ingrained in the wonders of the world around us.
(Correction: 4:59 p.m. – A previous version of this post wrongly stated Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its radius, instead of its diameter.)
